Friday, August 26, 2016

Conservative Tactics versus Alinsky

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

IN
ORDER TO ACHIEVE VICTORY, the resistance must employ a series of actions
against the oppressors. These strategies
are a combination of various tactics that are designed to take the power away
from the statists. Power is powerless
without action, and in order to act, one must have a quiver full of tactics.

According to Saul Alinsky, the
tactics we may employ begins with the senses.
Be visible to the opposition, raise a clamor to deceive the enemy
regarding your numbers, and if your organization is small, stink up the place.

Rule number one: Power is not only
what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.

In a discussion with a successful
candidate for city council, I asked what was among his most successful
tactics. He told me that his campaign
had limited money, so he searched out the addresses of the existing city
council members, key members of the staff, and any newspaper reporters in his
city. Once he discovered their
addresses, he blanketed their immediate neighborhoods with flyers and signs in
the yards of their neighbors. They did
not know that his flyers and signs were not appearing throughout the rest of
the city, but for all they saw, his name was all over where they lived. They asked each other, and each said to the
other, “Yes, my neighborhood is filled with his flyers and signs, too.” The reporters, after hearing this, and
noticing that in their own neighborhoods, the candidate had covered much
ground, wrote about the incredible campaign the candidate was having, and how
his name was everywhere. The free
publicity in the newspapers, and the other candidates talking about him out of
fear in earshot of the public, gave the candidate just the boost he needed to
win. While everyone thought he had
launched a massive campaign that covered the entire city, none of them ever
realized that he had raised zero funds, and had little of his own money to
spend on his campaign. The signs and
flyers they saw was but a small percentage compared to the other candidates,
but the strategic locations made his opponents believe he was well-funded, and
that his election to office was inevitable.
He didn’t have to have a massive campaign. He only needed to convince the right people
that he had a massive campaign.

Imagine if we used this tactic in
the form of boycotts. Two-thirds of this
country identify as Christians, and surely a large percentage of those people
consider themselves conservatives. If
these people were to threaten boycotts against movies, products, or cancel
subscriptions, the impact would be tremendous.
As with all of our tactics and strategies, however, if we don’t utilize
our numbers, the tactic will not be successful.

Rule number two: Never go outside
the experience of your people.

There is an unwritten rule in
golf. Don’t play the other guys
game. Play your own game. The moment you begin to try to drive the ball
in a manner similar to your opponent, hitting the ball harder than you are
accustomed, the end result will be disaster every time. If your game is one hundred yards, one
hundred yards, pop it up on the green, and putt it in one or two strokes, then
so be it. Play that game. This is not to say that you should not work
to improve your game, but never play beyond your capabilities. In the end, patience, and sticking to what
you know, will bring you victory.

One way Republicans go outside their
experience is when they try to reach out to minorities. Identity politics is generally something that
white conservatives are opposed to, so they are unable to reach out to minorities
without seeming disingenuous. We use
terms like “color blind” and the liberal left uses our use of such phrases to
ridicule the Right. Rather than go
outside our experience, why don’t we use the tools available to us. There are many minorities who are conservatives
who would love to do the heavy lifting in that department.

The
scene emerges on the television screen.
It’s a fine day in America, perhaps a scene at a park, or the street
corner of a busy community, and a black man walks up to the camera saying, “I
used to vote Democrat, but then I realized their policies are detrimental to
the opportunities for black people. Now,
I vote Republican.”

Rule number three: Wherever possible
go outside the experience of the enemy.

If going beyond the experience of your
own group can be damaging to your own efforts, than surely forcing the enemy to
reach beyond their experience will cause them the same confusion. Creating confusion, fear, and retreat in the
opposition is a desired outcome.

During the American Revolution, the
experience of the minutemen was their own landscape, and they used it to their
advantage. They took shots at the
British from behind the trees, around the edges of hillsides, and in the case
of Lexington and Concord, used these tactics to literally chase the British
forces all the way back to Boston Town.

Saul Alinsky provides another
military example, but used General Sherman in his example.

“General William T. Sherman, whose
name still causes a frenzied reaction throughout the South, provided a classic
example of going outside the enemy's
experience. Until Sherman, military tactics and strategies were based on
standard patterns. All armies had fronts, rears, flanks, lines of
communication, and lines of supply. Military campaigns were aimed at such
standard objectives as rolling up the flanks of the enemy army or cutting
the lines of supply or lines of
communication, or moving around to attack from the rear. When Sherman cut loose
on his famous March to the Sea, he had no front or rear lines of supplies or
any other lines. He was on the loose and living on the land. The South,
confronted with this new form of military invasion, reacted with confusion,
panic, terror, and collapse.”

Alinsky goes on to explain in the
next paragraph that “It was the same tactic that, years later in the early days
of World War II, the Nazi Panzer tank divisions emulated in their far-flung
sweeps into enemy territory, as did our own General Patton with the American
Third Armored Division.”

Social issues pose such an
opportunity for us. They are winning
issues, and the liberal left have no answer to the truth. They have us convinced that we must shy away
from the social issues, but with a country that is three-quarters Christian, is
just makes sense to hammer away on these issues. The trick is not deciding whether or not to
talk about the social issues, but discovering how best to fashion our
arguments.

Rule number four: Make the enemy
live up to their own book of rules.

Alinsky
explains, “You can kill them with this, for they can no more obey their own
rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity.”

This is a common tactic used by the
statists, especially when it comes to battling the social issues.

We need to be pointing out when
anti-gun advocates are arrested for illegal gun smuggling, tax cheats advocate
for higher taxes, and climate change defenders fly in big jets, drive fossil
fuel burning cars, or live in homes that have larger carbon footprints than
most industrial cities.

Rule number five: Ridicule is man’s
most potent weapon.

Ridicule can be defeated by logic,
and truth.

A liberal left homosexual used to
frequently comment on my blog, Political Pistachio. He would pick apart my writing, make fun of
my mistakes if I made any, and would ridicule me as much as possible. Knowing that I am a Christian, he would also
try to pick apart my writing by questioning my Christian values. Usually, logic, statistics, and appropriate
Bible verses worked wonders against his attacks. Nonetheless, statists are determined
creatures, and the attacks became so ferocious that I began to do what I could
to block him from commenting on my site.
His day job involves computers, and he would always find a way around my
attempts to block him. The attacks against
my “book of rules,” and attempts to “ridicule me into silence” didn’t stop
until his boyfriend died, and the grief drove him from participating in the
blogging community.

The difficulty with rules four and
five, as provided by Saul Alinsky, is that “conservatives” do not know how to
turn these tactics around and against the statists. We are moral people by nature, and so we
cannot bring ourselves to fight dirty like the statists do. So, we continue to bring knives to a gun
fight, and then wonder why we keep losing.

Every human being has a weakness, a
book of rules of their own, and like us, they cannot be one hundred percent in
line with their book of rules at all times.
We simply need to discover what those rules are, and pay attention so
that we can call them out for betraying those rules.

This goes back to my statement a few
chapters ago about how the death of Lavoy Finicum was an opportunity wasted for
our side. The statists claim to be
peace-loving, but they shot a man dead because he dared to oppose them. The continuous accusations of “murderers” and
“freedom killers” should have been so loud that the public sat up and took
notice. How is it that the liberal left
is so successful in doing this, and we are not?
We say all of the time that we need to learn how to use their own rules
against them, but when the opportunity arises, our good nature holds us back
because we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. We cower when we should be on the offensive.

When I was younger, I did not like
to fist fight, but if the other person was intent on hurting me, the rules went
out the window. They had to, for the
sake of survival. For us, logic and
truth usually prevails – if we are willing to wield those weapons.

Rule number six: A good tactic is
one that your people enjoy.

The difference between the statists
and the constitutionalists is that they enjoy destruction, deception, and being
agitators. The “conservative” minded
people are not fond of these kinds of tactics.
But, that does not mean that Alinsky’s rule number six cannot be taken
advantage of. Why can’t we be
creative? I hold Constitution Classes at
a gun shop. What about fundraisers at
gun ranges? One time a group I am
associated with went to a Ted Nugent concert.
Some of the more elderly members of the group weren’t so sure about if
they enjoyed it by the time it ended, but it was definitely a great chance for
us to spend time together.

On
Constitution Day my group will have a picnic at the Independence Hall replica at
Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California.
It’s a great way to get out the message, and an opportunity to reach out to curious
onlookers.

Tea
Party rallies have been among the most enjoyable events I have attended, as
well. Standing up to city council
members with the force of many members of my group behind me is something I
enjoy. Standing against statism can be
enjoyable, and it is those enjoyable events that keep us focused, and coming
back for more.

Among the most enjoyable was a
situation regarding an underground bunker in the City of Menifee,
California. A resident with about an
acre and a half of land decided he wanted to build an underground bunker. He said it was for the safety of his family. Considering that Southern Californians
constantly live in fear of the next big earthquake, and at the time the San
Onofre nuclear power plant was still active, it made all of the sense in the
world. The bunker was not going to just
be a cement box covered with dirt and grass, either. This bunker was going to be an engineered
living space equipped with bedroom, living facilities, and much more.

As a good citizen, the landowner
went to the city to get his permits, and it turned out that there were no
ordinances on the books regarding underground bunkers. So, the resident was required to make a
request directly to the city council.
When he went before the council, one of the members was missing, and the
four in attendance said, “No.” They
accused him of being some kind of survivalist, or wanting the bunker to hide
guns, or molest little boys.

Word got back to me about the
situation from the company who had been hired to build the bunker. The local business, at the time, was an
advertiser on my radio show, as well. So,
I told them to send out emails, have the landowner do the same, and I would
also do so, that we were going to swarm the city council at the next meeting
and demand they reconsider. Faced with
large numbers, they would like give in and do was we say.

As I drove to the location after
work the day of the city council meeting, I was imagining in my mind fifty
citizens standing firm in support of the property owner, demanding that he be
allowed to build his bunker. When I got
to the location, the number was at least double that, with the auditorium,
lobby, and nearby parking lot packed with supporters of the man who wanted to
build an underground bunker.

A number of people, including
myself, gave our presentations to the council during public comments, and the
arrogance of the councilmembers was no longer present. The councilman who had been missing from the
previous meeting motioned that they revisit the issue, and it was on the agenda
for the next meeting – at which they voted to allow the man to build his
bunker.

That was a tactic I enjoyed, as did
everyone else that was present. Making a
difference, and standing up against tyranny has a special enjoyment that goes
with it.

Rule number seven: A tactic that
drags on too long becomes a drag.

The
various meats and vegetables on the table at the feast must always be
changing. New crises and new
opportunities to stand against statism must always be sought out. If a group becomes nothing more than a club
that meets, eats, and complains, they lose their effectiveness. If new challenges are constantly arising, and
new opportunities are being sought out, the warriors remain interested, and
fresh.

Rule
number eight: Keep the pressure on with different tactics and actions, and
utilize all events of the period for your purpose.

Remember
the candidate who strategically placed his flyers and signs where the
opposition would see them? If we keep
the pressure on, and are constantly at various events, gatherings, and media
opportunities, the same nervousness is planted.
“They’re everywhere,” will become a common exclamation of fear. Keep the pressure on, and you keep them
guessing. We want them to worry, we want
them to think we are coming for them, and by keeping the pressure on, the
statists will begin to believe we are bigger than we are – and as a result we
will become bigger than we are.

Unfortunately,
conservatives fail on this one all of the time.
We ease up when we should push harder, or when the liberal left attacks
back, we get offended, and let it go.

Rule
number nine: The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.

This
is why the republicans continuously fold under the threat of a government
shutdown. They know the threat, and so
they shy away from the action. You know
how it goes. If the GOP causes a
government shutdown, the republicans get blamed for it. If the democrats causes a government
shutdown, the republicans still get blamed for it. So, the Right shies away from confrontation
because the threat of the consequences by the democrats is enough to scare the
conservatives away from it. Until we
match leftist tactics with our own, and are willing to throw down with them
when they pull their garbage, we will continue to be beaten. Rather than cower in the corner, it is time
to match them blow by blow. It is time
to set aside being well-behaved, every once in a while, and make some
noise. I am not talking about burning
down bridges, but I am suggesting that we learn to rattle bridges, and shake
bushes. We may be surprised by how many
frightened liberal left rabbits come running out, and away.

Rule
number ten: The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that
will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition.

Unceasing
pressure is essential to the success of our efforts. I suppose you could call it a game of
political chicken, but we also have to remember that to every action there is a
reaction – and if we can get the statists to react foolishly, it will be a
point in our favor. But, even then, the
constant pressure must remain, causing them to react, and react, and react, until
finally they either give in, or move in our direction.

The
pressure must be applied through every outlet possible; internet, social media,
radio, television, print ads, letters to the editor, and so on and so
forth. Eventually, even the uninformed
will begin to take notice.

Rule
number eleven: If you push a negative hard and deep enough it will break
through into its counterside.

Alinsky
says that every positive has its negative, and I suppose the opposite could
also be true. Slinging mud is effective,
and as in chess, you must go on the offense to win. The problem is, conservatives spend more time
refuting attacks, and going after their own for stepping out of line, that we
never go on offense. If we are playing
defense all of the time, in the end, we will lose to a check-mate. Sure, we have to defend sometimes, but we
should be attacking relentlessly.

Rule
number twelve: The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.

Republicans
believe this means they must always have a replacement ready for liberal left
policies. Often, the constructive
alternative is not another big government policy, but repeal, and then working
back towards constitutional limits and State sovereignty.

The
Affordable Care Act is a great example, here.
The rallying cry of the Republican Party regarding Obamacare has been
“repeal and replace.” After all, they
will tell us, we have to have a “constructive alternative.” From a constitutional viewpoint, replacing an
unconstitutional federal intrusion into health care with a different
unconstitutional federal intrusion into health care just doesn’t seem
constructive, as an alternative. The
alternative, in the case of the Affordable Care Act should be “less federal
government interference,” and a stronger patient/provider relationship.

Polarization
comes easy for collectivists and statists.
They have a good portion of the population believing that anything
right-of-center is automatically racist, sexist, against the poor, and in the
pockets of the wealthy. The reality is,
the opposite is true. The Right,
however, seems to have a problem polarizing the Democrats. Why not point out how the Democrat Party is
hostile towards Christianity, military veterans, southerners, success,
entrepreneurs, and whites? Why didn’t we
spend more time polarizing the Democrats of struggling over whether or not to
keep God on their platform, or Michelle Obama’s exclamation about how she was
proud of the country for the first time in her life because it looked like
Barry was going to win? We seem to
recognize the target, but we can’t seem to freeze it, personalize it, and
polarize it.

We
tend to be too nice to fight. That has
got to stop.

These
tactics we discussed are simply ones provided by Saul Alinsky in his book, Rules for Radicals. How many other
tactics can we create to achieve victory?

Tactics
without action are meaningless. Sitting
on the couch complaining is not an effective strategy. And out tactics cannot be simply defensive in
nature. As we engage the enemy in this
fight, we must be on the offense. We
must take the fight to them, and use their own tactics against them.

Tactics
change with the calendar. When Alinsky
wrote Rules for Radicals, he had no idea regarding the
technology that was on the horizon.
Twitter and Texting were definitely not words they were using fifty
years ago. So, while Alinsky’s list is a
good one, and something we can use to plan our resistance against statism, we
must be creative enough to come up with our own, as well.

...

Fair Use

This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding of political, human rights, economic, democracy, and social justice issues, etc. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research, educational, or satirical purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site/blog for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

However, if you still believe your copyright has been violated, we accept notifications of alleged copyright violations in accordance with the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. Note that if you materially misrepresent a claim of copyright infringement you will be liable for damages (including costsand attorney fees). We require the following information in order to respond to your request: Describe in detail the copyrighted work that you believe has been infringed upon (for example, “The copyrighted work is the code that appearson http://www.example.com/thecode.html) Identify the material that you claim is infringing the copyrighted work listed in #1. Include relevant URL’s that will allow us to identify the work. Your address, telephone number,and email address. Include the following statement “I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above as allegedly infringing is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.” Include thefollowing statement “I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.” Sign the notification, type your full name, sign it electronicallyif submitted via email. Send the notification to politicalpistachio@yahoo.com. Please place in the subject line Political Pistachio Copyright Infringement.

You can Email me to bitch and complain if you so desire, as well. In the event that you are offended by my site please advise me of the offensive material by Email, and I will promptly print the Email, and then place it in my shredder to serve as kindling for my fireplace.